Means for increasing the work obtainable from a charge of compressed air.



PATENTED AUG. 14, 1906.

I w. H. SODEYAU. MEANS FOR INCREASING THE WORK OBTAINABLB FROM A CHARGE OF COMPRESSED AIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAYQ, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

[now/(jar U H: S R RUI 3% (DUI M PATENTED AUG. 14, 1906.

W. H. SODEAII. MEANS FOR INCREASING THE WORK OBTAINABLE FROM A CHARGE OF COMPRESSED AIR.

APPLICATION FILED MAYB, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[nae/1 for UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM HORACE SODEAU, or NEWcAsrLE-UPoN-rYNE, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO SIR W. e. ARMSTRONG, WHITWORTI-I AND COM- PANY, LIMITED, OF NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, ENGLAND.

MEANS FOR INCREASING THE WORK OBTAINABLE FROM A CHARGE OF COMPRESSED AIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 14, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HORACE So- DEAU, en ineering chemist, a subject of the Kin of reat Britain, residing at Elswick Wor s, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, En land, have invented certain new and usefu Improvements in or Relating to Means for Increasing the Work Obtainable from a Charge of Compressed Air, more particularly appllicable to the ro ulsion of torpedoes andt e like, of whic the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the apparatus described in the United States Patents Nos. 693,871 and 693,872, dated the th of February, 1902. According to these patents the amount of work obtainable from a charge of compressed air stored in a reservoiras, for example, in the reservoir of a Whitehead torpedois increased by burning inside the reservoir alcohol, petroleum, or other suitable combustible liquid, so that the temperature of the air is raised and the volume which itv will occupy at a given pressure consequently increase The invention couldof course be applied to a reservoir containing instead of air any other gas or gases capable of supporting scribed in the above-mentioned combustion.

Witha single fuel-reservoir arranged as deatcnts the rate at which the combustible llquid is fed into the air-reservoir, owing to the expansion of the air contained in the upper part of the fuel-reservoir, increases very eatly as the pressure decreases, assuming t e pressure to all at a constant rate. The rate of feed is, in fact, approximately pro ortional t0 the square of the reciprocal of t e pressure in the air-reserv0ir. Consequently dangerouslyhigh temperatures are apt to be produced in the later stages if the air-space in the fuelreservoir is large enough to cause the delivery of combustible liquid to take place at a rate sufficiently great to produce a rapid rise of tem ertaure during the early stages of the discharge of the air from the reservoir. Conversely there will at first be a relatively slow rise of temperature if the air-s ace is proportioned to produce a reasona le temperature toward the termination of the discharge.

According to this invention the progressive feeding of the combustible liquid into the airreservoir is dependent upon the fall of preswhole or a fair portion of the vertical height of the fuel-reservoir and has two or more openings at different heights, permitting communication between the interior of the pipe and that of the vessel. A propriate strainers may be provided for t e purpose of reventing blockage of these openin s. en the level of the combustible liquid has fallen sufficiently to expose one or more of these 0 enin s, the air confined in the air-s ace of t e fue -reservoir will begin to pass t ou h the exposed opening or openings, while t e combustible liquid will continue to flow through those openings which remain submerged. The rate of feed will thus be diminished at the moment at which the flow of air commences to take place through one of the openings. The air-space will of course increase to a less extent for a given reduction of pressure than it would have done had no air been allowed to escape from the fuel-res ervoir. Consequently the continuance of the discharge from the air-vessel will not increase the rate of feed to the same extent as in the former case. The successive exposure of other openin s in the fuel-feed pipe will bring about such 0 ecks upon the rate of feed as ma be desired.

arran e the primer or cartridge in such a manner t at it can be Withdrawn and replaced, if desired, without allowing any lar e amount of compressed air to escape from tiie reservoir. I accomplish this by inserting it through a tube provided with a non-return valve opening mto the air-reservoir and forced open by the introduction of the primer or cartridge, which is forced into position by means of a screw-plug, which prevents any great leakage from taking place during the short interval between the lifting of the valve and the forcing of the primer or cartridge against the seating prepared for it. The mode of withdrawing the primer or cartridge after firing will be readily understood from the above description of the mode of intro.

ducing a fresh one. The above mode of introducin a rimer or cartridge can also be employe w en a compressed combustible gas or combustible solid is employed instead of a combustible liquid for heating the compressed air;

Figure 1 is a part longitudinal section of a torpedo constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a local section showing the method of arranging the primer-holder, and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation showing the details of the latter to a larger scale.

a is the air reservoir or flask from which compressed air is supplied to the engines throu h the pipe I). Combustion may be effecte in the dish-like furnace described in the said former specifications; but in the arrangement preferably employed an appro priately-constructed spra ing-nozzle 0 passes through the after end of t e air-reservoir and is connected to the fuel-reservoir d by means of a ipe e, interrupted by a valve or cock f, whic may conveniently be attached to the skin of the torpedo, so as to be operated from the exterior. The pipe e communicates with the interior of the fuel-reservoir d through two or more holes e. The upper end of the pipe e is closed unless one of the holes c is situated thereat. One of these holes should be close to the bottom of the reservoir. The reservoir, (1 has a removable cap or fillingplug d, which may conveniently open outside the skin of the torpedo, as shown in Fig. 1, and from which a tube (1 leads down into (1 to a suitable depth, so that an air-space remains after the combustible liquid has been introduced.

Fig. 2 shows the method of arranging the primer-holder, details of which latter are shown in Fi 3. The rimer g is inserted through a ho der h, which passes through the end of the air-reservoir, preferably ina direction inclined toward the axis of the spraying-nozzle c. It is convenient to cut a hole in the skin of the torpedo and attach a watertight partition 7', connecting the skin "with the end of the air-reservoir in such a manner that the primer can be readily inserted from the exterlor. When an electric'primer is employed, the contact-plug 7c is -preferably connected to the firing-switch by means of a spring contact-piece Z, passing through the partition 9'; but any other appropriate means of connection may be employed, if desired.

Fig. 3 shows one form of the type of primer-holder referably -em loyed. The rimer 9 slides finely into the ody h of the older and makes an air-tight oint with it at owing to the pressure exerted b the plug k, which is provided with an ins ated wire pressing a ainst the contact-disk of the rimer an connected with the insulated and m, which in turn makes contact with the electrical contact-piece I, connected to a battery or other firin device. The opposite end of the primer-ho der is provided with a valved lid n, referably closing b its own weight when tl ie primer is remove and having a stop preventing it from swinging back to an undesirable extent. The valved lid may, however, be furnished with a spring, if desired. In use the primer is placed in the tube and the plug is screwed in. After a few turns the end of the primer begins to force n open; but nogreat escape of compressed air takes place, as the head of the primer is forced against the inner end of the plug 70. The end of the primer finally presses the lid back out of the direct blast of the flash. After firing the primer can be withdrawn by unscrewing the plug it, the valved lid n closing, so as to prevent any serious escape of compressed air. I sometimes cut a short slot or groove k in the inner portion of the plu is, so that the pressure within the primerhol er may be relieved before the thread has been disengaged in the process of withdrawing the primer.

The abovedescribed heating arrangement may be operated in the following. manner: After the torpedo has been recovered from a previous run the fired primers are withdrawn and fresh ones inserted, as above described. The valve f is closed, plug (1 removed, and a fresh charge of fuel poured into the reservoir d withoutthe necessity of dischargin the air remaining in theair-reservoir a. T e presence of the internal pipe (1 insures the existence of a definite air-space above the fuel. Meanwhile the air-reservoir a may be charged to its working pressure. Before placing the to edo in the tube the firing device is set and the valve f opened, so as to equalize the pressure in a and d. As soon as the engine is started the reissue in the air-reservoir a begins to fa and in consequence the air in the space in d e ands, thereby driving combustible liquid t ough the spraying-nozzle 0, so that it enters the air-reservoir in a condition suitable for rapid combustion. After an a 'propriate interval the spray is ignited by t e firing of a primer and the fuel burns fiercely in the compressed air, so that hot air is supplied to the engine through the pipe 6. The rate at which the combustible liqmd is fed into the air-reservoir will increase as the air-space becomes larger until the level of the liquid has fallen sufficiently to expose the uppermost of the holes e, when air will pass through the exposed hole; but the combustible liquid continues to flow through those holes which are still submerged. This passage of air through the ex sed hole reduces the stream of combustib e li uid and obviously also lessens the growt of the air s ace, thereby decreasing the rate at which the feed increases. When more than two holes e are provided, the intermediate ones become successively ex sed and bring about further checks to t e increase of the rate of feed.

What I claim is- 1. The combination of a reservoir for compressed an",

a reservoir for fuel, apipe having air-reservoir, and means for igniting end one end in the air-reservoir and the other end burning the fuel in the air-reservoir.

standing up in the lower part of the fuel-reservoir, the latter end being perforated with two or more holes at different heights, and means for igniting and burning the fuel in the air-reservoir.

2. The combination of a reservoir for com pressed air, a reservoir for fuel, a pipe having one end in the air-reservoir and the other end standing up in the lower part of the fuel-reservoir, the latter end being perforated with two or more holes at different heights, avalve on the pipe, and means for igniting and burning the fuel in the air-reservoir.

3. The combination of a reservoir for compressed air, a reservoir for fuel, a pipe having one end in the air-reservoir and the other end standing up in the lower part of the fuel-reservoir, the latter end being perforated with two or more holes at different heights, at spraying-nozzle on the end of the pipe in the l l l 4. The combination of a reservoi r for eom pressed air, a reservoir for fuel, a pipe having one end in the air-reservoir and the other end standing up in the lower part of the fue reservoir, the latter end being perforated with two or more holes at difl'erent heights, a valve on the pipe, a spraying-nozzle on the end of the pipe in the air-reservoir, and means for igniting and burning the. fuel in the air-reserw i r.

5. The eombinetion of a reservoir for compressed air, a tubular holder fixed to the well of the reservoir l'or receiving a primer, :1- lid hinged to the inner end of the holder, and a plug screwing into its outer end.

WILLIAM HORACE SODEAU.

Witnesses:

FRANK HARLOW, EDWARD ATKINSON. 

